SAPP is for the dignity of Sabah's people

By Dullie Hj Marie

KOTA KINABALU: Another amazing statement made by Sabah DAP Chairman, Jimmy Wong. Now Jimmy is putting himself above Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim such is the height of DAP's super arrogance.

Just early September this year Datuk Seri Anwar made a statement recognizing the status of SAPP and that SAPP need not join the PR coalition in order to work together.

In fact Jimmy Wong is kidding himself by making comparison on the relationship among political parties just like husband and wife is indeed a very childish analogy. He should understand the seriousness and the responsibility being political parties.

As a leader he should not make himself look foolish with that statement. It is beyond comprehension and unacceptable as though he treats politics as a game and to have fun with. He should seriously consider the rights of Sabahan that has been ignored for almost five decades.

Sabah was given a raw deal and now is the window of opportunity to redress the injustices and DAP must not be a Malayan spoiler to kill Sabah's future. It is a very vital and crucial decision that involves the future and the rights of Sabahans. The State sovereignty represents the dignity of its people.

The political history of Sabah should be as a guidance to direct our future direction; that SAPP will never budge just to please Jimmy Wong. The concession demanded by DAP is secondary but our primary concern is the concession demands of Sabahans. Jimmy Wong should accept the fact that our struggle is to regain the autonomy of Sabah. Sabahans are not a bunch of idiots; our struggle is for a moral cause.

I like to remind Jimmy on May 7, 2011 upon his insistence, SAPP has formed a negotiation team and I was appointed by the Supreme Council to head it. The objective is to negotiate in good faith to have an understanding with DAP. The negotiation was abruptly halted, when the stalwart Lim Kit Siang made ignorant and arrogant speech at a Harvest Festival organized by Sabah DAP. He bluntly made an ultimatum that SAPP must join Pakatan Rakyat. His arrogance was also well reflected by his unwarranted and oppressive remarks that he made publicly on the night was as an insult to Datuk Yong Teck Lee who was his guest.

Jimmy Wong should not put pressure on SAPP to be subservient to the DAP.

Just to put it rightly to Jimmy, SAPP is the one should be more sceptical and doubtful on the sincerity of DAP as proven by incidents in Batu Sapi by-election whereby DAP colluded with UMNO to attack SAPP and not to attack BN-UMNO, especially not to attack the Sabah Chief Minister.

Jimmy has to remember SAPP is a local party with multiracial concept will pursue its mission on whatever is available at our disposals to the promises as enshrined by the Malaysian Agreement 1963. As a reminder, let me quote the statement made by Tengku Abdul Rahman when Malaysian was formed. Quoted as "The granting of self – government too would enable Sabah to stand on its own feet as equal with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore" and "The important aspects of Malaysian Ideal, as I see it, is that it will enable the Borneo territories to transform their present colonial status to 'self- government' for themselves and absolute independence in Malaysia simultaneously" and "The day of imperialism are gone and it is not the intention of Malaya to perpetuate or review them."

By regaining the promised Autonomy we will enable us to control our own economic resources, and to shape our political future. I urged Jimmy and others able to share this vision by discarding personal interests and committed to the larger interests and the destiny of our generations should be the ultimate goal.